Deck Strategies
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
Uses infinite mana generation with cards like Priest of Titania and mana dorks to fuel a Walking Ballista for infinite damage, leveraging Derevi's ability to control the board and generate incremental advantage.
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
Ramp-heavy deck that focuses on generating large amounts of colored mana through creatures like Devoted Druid and mana-producing lands, aiming to cast big spells or creatures to overwhelm opponents.
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin
Incremental damage dealer using ping effects combined with a Walking Ballista and Soul's Cauldron combo to drain opponents' life totals, with value generated from creatures and planeswalker synergies.
Sisay, Weatherlight Captain
Legendary tutor deck that focuses on fetching powerful legendary creatures to build board presence and win through impactful legendary synergies and combos.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Players showed restraint in early turns, prioritizing mana development and assembling combo pieces rather than aggressive attacks.
- 2
The incremental damage from cards like Vicious Rumors and commander abilities forced players to carefully manage life totals and timing of plays.
- 3
The use of utility lands and creatures such as Forbidden Orchard and Deathrite Shaman provided both mana fixing and disruption options.
- 4
Sisay's tutoring for legendary creatures created a persistent threat that required opponents to prioritize disruption or removal.
- 5
Ob Nixilis's strategy to ping opponents and set up a Walking Ballista infinite combo added pressure and a potential quick kill if left unchecked.
- 6
Players negotiated minor combat phases with 'no blocks' agreements to preserve board state and avoid unnecessary losses.
- 7
Mana denial and protection choices, such as decisions around paying for Esper triggers, influenced tempo and resource availability.
Notable Cards
Walking Ballista
Devoted Druid
Enduring Vitality
Esper Sentinel
Deathrite Shaman
Vicious Rumors
Forbidden Orchard
Breeding Pool
Summary
The game started with players ramping and setting up their mana bases, with early plays including mana dorks like Birds of Paradise and utility creatures such as Esper Sentinel and Deathrite Shaman. The board state remained relatively light on threats initially, as players focused on deploying key pieces that support their respective combo or synergy strategies. Notable early plays included Kinnan setting up mana acceleration with lands like Breeding Pool and enduring ramp creatures, while Derevi aimed to generate infinite mana combos using cards like Priest of Titania and Walking Ballista. Ob Nixilis utilized ping damage with incremental value creatures and sought to assemble a Walking Ballista plus Soul's Cauldron infinite combo for the win. Sisay focused on tutoring legendary creatures to create powerful board presence and win through legend-based synergies. The game involved a lot of interaction around managing resources, controlling board state, and preventing opponents from fully executing their combos. Key moments included players carefully deciding when to attack or hold back, use removal or protection spells, and manage life totals due to incremental damage effects from their commanders and cards like Vicious Rumors and End-Tomb. The game was a tense balance of ramp, disruption, and combo assembly, with the main win conditions revolving around infinite mana combos and powerful legendary creature synergies.